


drowning in the depths of you (don’t save me)

by Eistibus



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Dystopian Elements, Fae! Jian Yi, M/M, Mermaid! Guan Shan, am i really doing this in the middle of a sem? hell yeah, he tian is just madly in love with guan shan, he tian is sort of like guan shan's sugar daddy, mafia and triads and shit, mermaid au, modern era where humans coexist with magical creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-04-24 16:35:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19177192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eistibus/pseuds/Eistibus
Summary: For a mermaid like Mo Guan Shan, life was tough as he strives to avoid attention from insidious traffickers. Suddenly he finds himself courted by He Tian, a dashing and mysterious man from an incredible background--who may or may not be keeping an alarming secret.(A modern fantasy AU wherein humans and magical creatures co-exist. Guan Shan struggles to grasp the magnitude of what he's been submerged into -- of attempted kidnappings and underground rings, and of powerful families overseeing organized crime.)





	1. Of Mermaids and Suitors

A shrill melody disrupts the silence in Guan Shan’s bedroom. His hand quickly shoots out from under the covers, fumbling around blindly before finally finding the source. With practiced ease, he shuts off the alarm. He lets out an annoyed grunt before pulling himself out of bed.

On his phone, the time reads 6:00 AM. The sun’s rays had just started to rise up, painting the city with bright yellow. He stretches, lets out a huge yawn, then crosses the short distance to his door.

He goes straight to the water dispenser and drinks four glasses without stopping. The dryness in his throat barely subsides. He eats a quick breakfast composed of canned tuna and toast bread. Before entering the bath, he makes sure to pass by his mother’s bedroom to check if she was still asleep.

He opens the shower, uncaring of the cold. The slits at his sides begin to itch uncomfortably under the spray of water. The urge to scratch at his sealed gills becomes stronger every passing minute. He showers briskly, trying to ignore his body’s growing need to swim.

He dresses up, careful not to make loud sounds as he collects the things he needed. He goes to his mother’s room and leaves a kiss on her forehead. He runs a hand through her hair, red just like his, and breathes out a sigh before walking out the door.

 

* * *

 

A few decades have passed since the line between fantasy and reality had been removed. Magical creatures, once imagined to be things of imagination, now coexist with humans. What was once told in books or sung in epics now walk among mortal men under broad daylight.

Before this line faded, however, there already was human civilization. Centuries upon centuries of political and cultural evolutions have given man immense knowledge. And what he knew, he turned into power; where man treaded, transformation took place. When he had walked in plains they had turned into fields. When he had walked in forests, they had turned into cities.

 

And man, inevitably, walked on all of Earth.

 

One by one the mountains and the skies fell. And along with them came the secrets of magical creatures who have once secluded themselves from human eyes. Like dust, the legends fell away, taking with them all of wonder, all of awe, and all of the beauty of fantastical imaginations.

While creatures and humans now coexist together, society still couldn’t quite settle itself. The emigration of magical creatures into the cities became the center of many conflicts. For one, the Constitutions of the different countries had to be rewritten to fit a new development; it can no longer be the laws of men, but the laws of _beings_.

The revisions of law, of knowledge, of everything mundane proved to be extremely daunting. As it stands, humans and creatures do not yet share equal footing. Magical creatures were subsequently placed under heavy monitoring as their powers and abilities are believed to be dangerous. Any creature caught using their magical abilities was subject to immediate arrest. On most cases, creatures are almost immediately imprisoned without trial.

This particular law is rightfully subjected to heavy criticism. Calls for revision have been inexhaustibly fought for by activists; for example, under the current law of most countries, juvenile magical creatures are not exempt from imprisonment.

The youngest creature to ever be imprisoned was a four-year old fae who petrified a human man. The man, as shown by leaked CCTV footage, was found to have attempted kidnapping.  

Another point of discussion would be the obvious ambiguity of the terms requiring immediate arrest, as the law does not take into account self-defense (as exemplified by the controversial case of the fae child) or other acts aside from crime. Lastly, the refusal of the state to grant creatures the right to defend one’s self in the court is seen to be a failure of respecting a fundamental right.

Simply put, humanity still finds difficulty in accepting the entry of magical creatures. Discriminatory practices inevitably took to effect; in fact, both state and private institutions such as schools and hospitals have notoriously taken to refusing to provide services to magical creatures.

The status quo remained the same, with elite ruling humans taking monopoly of power and control. The elite, still possessing of the bulk of the world’s wealth, have taken to acquiring magical creatures through the black-market trade. To escape this creature trafficking, humanoid creatures such as elves, naiads, pixies, and mermaids attempt their best to disguise themselves as humans.

 

Mermaids, in particular, are the most prized. 

 

* * *

  

The sun rises on the horizon, the atmosphere turning electric as the city wakes up. The crowd of people grows quickly as they hurry to take the public transportation. The trains fill up while cars and buses pile up on the road.

The pedestrian light turns green. Guan Shan walks quickly and doesn’t look back on the people he bumps shoulders with. He ignores the many curious glances towards his way, some more discreet while the others stare unashamed. He stops himself from glaring back.

For a long time he has tried, but he could never really get used to the attention. He reminds himself that that their glances can’t be helped, with his hair and amber eyes sticking out in the crowd. Perhaps, his appearance was just as jarring to them as their heavy attention on him.

He pulls his hoodie up over his head. Humanoid creatures like him may try to pretend their hardest to be completely human, and yet they get suspected on anyway.

He reaches his workplace within a couple of minutes. Currently, he's working as a server in a small restaurant located in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon.  It was here in the worn-down parts of Hong Kong where regulation on magical creatures was weak. In high-end areas, such as Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, it was incredibly rare for a magical creature to secure a job, let alone a home. Here, amongst the flickering signs of cheap restaurants along noisy streets leading to marketplaces, Guan Shan works at ease. He's glad for the fact that the employers in this part of the country do not have the time, nor the means to make a thorough background check on the people they hire.

Guan Shan enters through the back door and immediately changes into his standard server uniform. His boss arrives, and together they start preparing for the day.

The hours pass by, and he gets through the day steadily. Guan Shan works methodically, without real focus or effort, serving plates, handing out bills, and clearing tables.

During the moments in between, he finds himself unable to stop thinking about his mother. He wishes he could take her out for a swim, but she has gotten too frail both in mind and body. Most of the time she seemed alright, cooking dinner and eating with Guan Shan, asking him if he was doing fine. But then there were times when she would stare off outside the window, facing the ocean, whispering his father’s name in between moments of silence.

He can feel the weariness on his back as the day comes to an end. He brings a tray over to a customer’s table and begins to clear out the tableware. Only then does he notice the curl on the mouth of the middle-aged man seated at the table, watching him stack plates one after the other.

He knows that expression very well. It was none other than the outwardly displayed disgust of a human to any magical creature, or to anyone who seemed like one.

“So they hired you, just like that? The man blurts out, startling Guan Shan for a brief second. He clenches his jaw before moving with forced calmness.

“Or maybe you used one of your kind’s vile tricks. Despicable.” The man haphazardly drops the bill holder on the table before standing up and storming out of the restaurant door, his cane making clacking noises. Guan Shan lets out a shaky exhale before wiping the table with a rag.

 _‘Not today. Not anymore.’_ He says to himself as a mantra, keeping in mind all the jobs he lost because he failed to hold his temper. His past self would have slammed his hand on the table and told the man to shut his mouth. That version of him would have hated how he chooses to stay silent now.

He can’t afford to lose one job again. Not with the bills and the medicines that his sickly mother often needed.

That doesn't stop him from telling the man to ' _piss off and go to hell, old fart_ ' under his breath.

He was about to walk back into the kitchen when the door of the restaurant opened once again, the chimes swaying with the ring.

“Welco--”

He stops abruptly, eyes widening as he recognizes the newly arrived man at the door. Black hair, gray eyes, a sly smirk. A face that he has become acquainted with, ever since the man showed up two months ago for the first time.

He Tian tilts his head at him from where he was standing, hands in his pockets. Guan Shan scowls and storms back into the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

Guan Shan leans on the counter as he waits for the food to be finished. Xui Hong, his boss who also served as the cook, looks at him from the corner of his eye. He was an eccentric middle-aged man with long black hair who had hired him without a second glance. Kind, thoughtful, if only a bit too chatty for Guan Shan’s liking.

“My, Guan Shan, your suitor is here again.” Xui Hong says to him with a wide smile as he removes the egg rolls from the fryer. Guan Shan scoffs and shakes his head.

“He’s not my suitor.” Guan Shan replies automatically. Xui Hong’s smile doesn’t break as turns off the stove. He hands the plate over to Guan Shan who places it on the tray.

“Silly boy. Can’t you see how he looks at you? Coming here at least twice a week for the past month.” Xui Hong removes his gloves and washes his hands at the sink. 

“So? Has he brought you to his house? Met his parents?” The older man continues as he looks over to Guan Shan, wiggling his eyebrows. Guan Shan replies by rolling his eyes.

He was about to heft the tray up from the counter when he notices an extra dish. “Wait. He didn’t order spare ribs.” Guan Shan points out, to which the older man just waves away.

“It’s for you. Now go, he’s waiting.”

Guan Shan stares at him, dumbfounded. He blurts out an awkward thanks, before walking out of the kitchen.

 

 

The sign has been flipped to “CLOSED” at the front door. For some reason, He Tian always catches them just before they get ready to put things back in place.

He brings the food down from the tray. He removes his apron and tosses it on a nearby chair before sitting down, not looking at the other man. Across him, He Tian watches with rapt attention. Guan Shan could feel He Tian’s piercing gaze on him as he begins to eat his food. Ignoring the growing tightness in his stomach, he faces He Tian’s stare head-on.

“What?” He says, annoyed. 

“Not even going to ask me how I’ve been? You wound me, Red.” He Tian replies with a teasing smile. Guan Shan looks at him exasperatedly before breaking his gaze away.

 _‘Again with that nickname.’_ He thinks with slight annoyance. “Why do you keep coming here?” He says while looking down his food. He Tian hums at the back of his throat. 

“Can’t a man appreciate how a restaurant cooks their food?” He Tian answers him with a lilt in his tone. Guan Shan shakes his head, disbelieving.

“Don’t take me for a dumbass, He Tian.”

The other man stays silent for a while. Guan Shan looks up, one eyebrow raised, only to find He Tian smiling softly as he ate his food.

“What do you want me to say? That I come here because a certain redhead has caught my eye?” He Tian says with a shrug. It takes a moment for him to register what the other man said. Guan Shan’s cheeks immediately heat up. He lets out an annoyed huff.

 _‘What the hell is up with this guy_?’ He thinks to himself. Even though the message was clear as day, his mind still refuses to wrap around it. He can’t take He Tian’s words seriously, not with his designer suit and the Blancpain on his wrist. How could someone like that find a poor man-- a poor creature like Guan Shan worthy of his time?

They eat in silence, with the occasional noises from cars and passersby outside. He hears the door to the back close, signifying that his boss had just left the restaurant.

‘ _Xui Hong too…damn it_.’ For some reason, his boss was especially supportive of He Tian coming by the restaurant. It confuses him, he doubts that Xui Hong did not at least suspect him to be inhuman.

“Guan Shan.” He Tian calls at him from the opposite side of the table. He looks up with a questioning expression.

“The customer from earlier. Did he say something to you?”

Guan Shan stills, not having expected the question. “The man with the cane?” He replies, as if he didn’t already know what He Tian meant.

“Yes.” Came the other man’s curt answer. Guan Shan shrugs.

“It was nothing.” Guan Shan tries to dismiss the question. He doesn’t want to explain to He Tian how the other man accused him of being inhuman. Otherwise it would invite other questions he doesn’t know how to answer.

He quickly finishes up the last bite of his food before standing up. He's about to collect an empty plate when he’s stopped by He Tian’s reaching out to grasp his wrist.

Guan Shan inhales sharply. His other hand rests on He Tian’s, trying to pry it off without real force.  The other man doesn’t let go, and instead pulls him closer, prompting Guan Shan to move around the table.

He Tian’s grip moves from his wrist to his hand. “Please don’t lie, Guan Shan.” He Tian says seriously, so unlike from his teasing tone earlier. He rests his chin on the back of Guan Shan’s hand and looks up to his face. He fixes him an imploring stare.

He Tian watches transfixed as Guan Shan swallows, throat bobbing up and down.

“Just said some shit about hiring people like me. It’s not a big deal.” Guan Shan makes a move to pull away once more, but He Tian holds on.

“And what did he mean by that? I wouldn’t mind hiring people like you.”. He Tian’s replies easily, flashing him a wink. Guan Shan shoots him a glare.

 _‘No you wouldn’t.’_ He thinks to himself bitterly. _‘If you knew.’_

“Something about bad service. It’s nothing, I didn’t really care.” Guan Shan replies and pulls his hand away, using his other hand to nudge He Tian’s cheek. “Stop messing with me.”

He Tian's lips morph into a slow smile and Guan Shan fights with himself not to break his gaze. He watches as the other man stands in front of him, one hand reaching into his suit jacket. 

Guan Shan’s eyes widen. On He Tian’s palm was a small black velvet box.

“I hope you like it.” The other man says. Guan Shan raises his head from where he’s been gaping at the object, looking at He Tian with both his eyebrows furrowed. He Tian raises his eyebrow and moves his outstretched palm closer.

Slowly, Guan Shan takes the box. He opens it to reveal a pair of earrings. He shakes his head. This was the third gift the other man has given him, the first one a red scarf from Versace, the second one a yellow leather jacket from Diesel. His mouth goes dry. He doesn’t think he’s ready to know which luxury brand He Tian bought the earrings from.

He doesn’t know what to do other than a nervous rub at the back of his neck. He has tried refusing He Tian’s gifts before, but the other man wouldn’t take them back. He takes out one of the earrings and studies it, a simple black metal band with a matte texture. He notes how it was considerably heavier than the one he was currently wearing.

He feels the shift in the air before he realizes that He Tian has leaned down, lips next to his ear. Guan Shan jolts, startled, then stands frozen.

“Wear them for me next time I come by, okay?” He Tian says, voice low and expectant. Guan Shan breathes shakily then nods, the hairs at the back of his neck rising.

“W-whatever.” He replies dumbly, unable to find words.

 

* * *

 

Guan Shan lied.

He Tian ponders as he lights a cigarette, waiting for Guan Shan to finish packing up. He sucks in slowly, feeling the menthol run through the back of his skull before exhaling. He recalls the one-sided conversation he heard as he stood in front of the restaurant door.

‘ _Or maybe you used one of your kind’s vile tricks_.’ He Tian remembers the man’s words. The implication didn’t need to be clarified. The man accused Guan Shan to be a creature, at least, on the grounds of something as inconclusive as physical appearance. He supposes it was easy to entertain that kind of thought, Guan Shan didn’t look like a standard Hong Kong born human. And by the looks of it, none of his hair or eyes were synthetic.

He knows because, well, he has been studying the other man closely.

The door opens on his left. He looks over, eyes zeroing on the red scarf loosely tied around Guan Shan’s neck.

If his grin ended up being too wide, Guan Shan chose not to point it out. Instead the other man looks away, directing his attention on locking the door. 

 _‘Beautiful Red.’_ He Tian thinks to himself. He looks back on the first time he had laid his eyes on the other man. At first he had been curious, observing him as he worked, how he was borderline impolite even when interacting with customers. And then he found himself coming back and asking for his name, telling him outright that he was stunningly beautiful. 

He can't forget how shocked and perplexed Guan Shan was at that time.  " _The fuck do you mean?'"_ Guan Shan had responded incredulously.He Tian thought it was cute _._

He doesn't exactly remember when his curiosity became replaced by want. A want to get closer, to get his trust, to bring him to places. Maybe the customer from earlier had been half right, maybe Guan Shan put a spell on him.

“Not like I don’t already know your answer, but I really want to drive you home.” He offers, to which the other man just scoffs. He points his thumb at the black Mercedes Benz parked just a few feet away.

“No, He Tian. I can go home by myself.”, Guan Shan replies firmly. He Tian shrugs at the reply, already having expected the rejection.

“See you then next week.” He says, to which Guan Shan just nods. He reaches his hand over to the other man’s head and ruffles his hair. Guan Shan yelps angrily then pushes his arm away. He leaves without a word, footsteps quick, snarling with heated cheeks. He Tian chuckles.

He watches Guan Shan’s as his back gets smaller and smaller with the distance. He smokes the last bit of his cigarette and throws it at the nearby bin.

From the alley across the restaurant, He Tian catches the shadow of the hooded figure he’s been observing at the corner of his eye. He waits until the stranger leaves before returning to his car.

Jaw clenched, he drives away, Hong Kong's night lights shining over him. The nicotine washes over his body along with growing unease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work was inspired by 'This City Will Kill You' by hillaryfaye, 'Children of the Storm' by baeconandeggs and Ink-and-stars(AriasofSnow), and 'Into the Grey' by Kratos_Aurion(Velvet_Crowe). Bomb af works, so much respect.
> 
> I’ve been to Hong Kong once…when I was 10 years old lol. I remember shit were expensive af, and it’s very unlike SG or Japan if you guys have been there. Quite chaotic in its own beautiful way, tall buildings if you look up, bumbling streets and markets when you look down. Although the wealth inequality is quite drastic, no? 
> 
> If I end up being inaccurate (I’m aware that Google can only do so much lmao), I apologize in advance especially to HK natives. Granted, the setting in the story is not meant to imitate real life. Please do inform me of the mistakes though, I'll do my best to work on them.


	2. Questions of Identity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 HKD = 0.13 USD = 0.11 Euro
> 
> 哥哥 (Gēgē) - older brother. Can be affixed to a name (-ge) to indicate brotherly relationship.
> 
> All the names used in this work (aside from OX's characters) are in no way related to real people.

An ancient Chinese writer named Lai Guo once wrote into detail about his experience of meeting a mermaid. He claimed to have met a woman so devastatingly beautiful, whose upper body was of a human but had a fish's tail instead of legs. He wrote of how the scales on her tail shone like the rainbow, of how the spaces between her fingers had a thin sheet of translucent skin. Her tail had been lime green, the same color as her hair, but her eyes were of a soft amber. He wrote about her voice as she sang, the  _ocean’s calling_  as he called it, her song so absurdly mesmerizing he could not put the sound into words. Only that he had felt the pull of the ocean at his heart and the cascade of all emotions at once. 

Sometimes she cried as she sang, and Lai Guo felt nothing but the weight of her overwhelming sadness. When her tears fell on the sand, they turned into exquisite pearls.

At that time, no one really took his writing seriously. It was said that he died months after he had completed his work, feverish and mumbling all incoherent nonsense. The people around him believed him to be insane, and his work could not be trusted as truth. Instead they thought of his work as fantasy, a legend about beautiful women who lived in the sea.

It was not until a few hundred years later, when the warlords ruled over all of China. The story about far-faring fishermen had emerged, who had come home with a nearly damaged vessel, with half of the men missing. The story tells of how they would brazenly talk about fishpeople who had lunged at their vessel, pulling their men with them underneath the raging waves. They talked about hearing a song that rattled their hearts, coaxing them to jump from their boat. The ones who survived recall with great horror as they watched their fellow fishermen jump willingly into the sea, and into the arms of the creatures.

The people were perplexed as the stories of the remaining survivors were astonishingly consistent with one another. Months later, all of them passed away, crying and shaking and spouting nonsense about needing to go back to the sea.

As the story spread far the more people became unnerved. Lai Guo’s story started to make sense. Many became interested in finding the fish people and have dedicated themselves to venturing out into the vast oceans.

The Chinese were not alone in their search for the legendary fish people. Similar legends had come forth across different nations, giving them other names; mermaids, sirens, lorelei. Each legend describes into detail the impossible beauty the creatures possessed, and how their songs drove men to madness.

Even to this day, in the dawn of a new age, the mermaids remain elusive.

 

* * *

 

Guan Shan emerges from the surface of the water. He looks around him, once, twice, before hoisting himself up on a rock, cringing as the sharp edges dig into his webbed hands. He takes a moment before willing himself to transform.

The red scales covering his lower body begin to crack and fall off, revealing human skin. The layer joining his legs and the spaces between his fingers and toes also fall away. He feels his gills seal themselves tight on his sides at the same time.

He takes a deep breath, inhaling the humid air into his lungs. Cupping seawater into his hands, he washes the cracked scales from his body. Most of them have already fallen away but some still remain in patches.

Here, behind the rocky out-cliffs of the Hong Kong shoreline, Guan Shan feels safe from view. He doesn’t think anyone has ever seen him morph, otherwise he would have been on the run from traffickers a long time ago.

He walks over to his belongings and begins dressing up quickly. In his haste, a velvet box almost falls from the pocket of his sweatpants. He scrambles to catch it, fingers closing on the object a split second before it reached the cracks between the rocks. He lets out a few curses as he struggles to regain his footing.

With the box safe in his grip, he lets out an exasperated huff. He hesitates before finally pulling the lid open.

He stares at the earrings, black matte and heavy on his hand. The bands stare back, as if mocking him.

During the past week he had refused to acknowledge it, going as far as stuffing it in the back of his closet to hide it from his view. At work he's able to forget about it temporarily, but at home it persistently takes up space at the back of his mind.

Just like all the other gifts from before, and the man behind them all.

He feels the heat rise up to his ears again. He remembers the way He Tian looked like on that particular afternoon, smirking, one eye-brow raising as Guan Shan gaped at the object on his hand. He remembers He Tian’s breath on his ear, making the skin at the back of his neck break out into goosebumps.

_‘Wear them for me next time I come by, okay?’_

He shakes his head from the memory, embarrassed at how he felt. He can’t get He Tian out of his mind, how his actions make him crazy, how the insufferable curl of his smirk seems to be burned at the back of his eyelids.

 _‘Damn you, He Tian.’_  He says to himself, blaming the other man for the heat in his gut. He carefully takes the earrings out of the compartments and wears them on his ears, feeling the pull of their weight.

He walks over to the rocks’ edge to look at his reflection on the water, turning his head side to side as he observed them.

He won’t easily admit to the other man, but he likes what he sees.

 

  

The sun’s rays start to peek out from the edge of the horizon. Within minutes, the city starts to buzz with life as establishments open one by one. Guan Shan checks his phone and sees that he has enough time before he’s needed at the restaurant.

He enters a 7-11, relieved to find it mostly empty. He goes to collect a tuna sandwich and a soda and brings them over to the counter. His eyes wander to the magazine rack as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket. He sees something that makes his mouth fall open in shock.

There, on the latest cover of Sudden Weekly, was a picture of a man that Guan Shan has become quite familiar with.

**MEET MR. HE TIAN, THE DASHING, YOUNG CEO OF NOIRE**

_‘What the fuck?!’_ He almost says out loud. He’s frozen on the spot, unable to comprehend what he had just read. He blinks a few times, not really believing his eyes.

“That would be 15 dollars, sir.” The cashier’s voice brings him back. He fumbles to open his wallet and quickly hands the exact amount. The cashier accepts it, looking at him with a questioning eye.

A million questions races over his head. He feels an overwhelming amount of incredulity as he takes in the words printed on the magazine. He looks back on the presents, the obvious markers of wealth on He Tian’s person, a different luxury car with him almost every time he comes by the restaurant. He knew the man was rich, but he never expected him to be the CEO of giant corporation. 

_‘_ _Gods, how old is he?’_

He moves to take a closer look, and sure enough there was He Tian, poised and perfect for the photo.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A GLIMPSE ON HIS WORK LIFE AND…LOVE LIFE

Guan Shan chuckles humorlessly, reading the smaller title. He rubs his face and hopes it was all a dream.

Belatedly, he realizes that this new fact makes everything more complex, with He Tian apparently being a big enough presence that entertainment magazines would dedicate an issue about.

 _'Love life, huh?'_   Curiosity begs at him to learn more but he ignores it, judging himself for being slightly willing enough to take the bait. Instead, he thinks about how truly far their worlds were; He Tian and his multi-million background, and him, clothes still wet with seawater. He Tian, going all the way to Sham Sui Po, relentless in his advances despite Guan Shan’s unfriendliness. 

A panicked thought crosses his mind but he squashes it down.  _'There's no way they could know about me, right? '_

He gives the magazine cover one last look before straightening up. With rigid posture he turns back and stomps out of the store, breaths falling away from his mouth, his heart thumping so wildly he feels it on the back of his ears.

 

* * *

 

Noire isn’t just any other corporation. It’s one of the largest corporations in the world dedicated to creating technologies ranging from phones, cars, to military grade reconnaissance equipment. Run by the He family based in China, Noire continues to be one of the nation's most sophisticated developers of Asian technology.

 

But Noire, just like many others of its kind, possesses a deeply hidden secret.

 

Once, there was a time when China had been ruled over by warlord families. They had stayed in power for the longest time, until Meng Zie Tao championed his revolution. As a result, many of these warlords fled into neighboring countries such as Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia. It was in these nations where they aimed to re-establish their power using the remaining wealth they had accumulated from China.

These families eventually formed the Triads, known today as the largest organized crime group comprised of elite Chinese families excluding the ones from mainland China. These were not just simple elite families who possessed major holdings, on the contrary, their resources stretch far and wide beyond what touches the light of day. Their influence is so vast they could exert enough political control over countries.

Eventually, Meng’s revolutionary government became corrupted with revisionists. This resulted to the re-establishment of some Chinese crime groups back into the mainland. Outside of China, the Triads remain in power.

Just like the yakuza in Japan, and the mafia scattered throughout the West, the Triads and the Chinese crime groups are usually affiliated with legal holdings. It is of no secret to the average person that the largest corporations may or may not have ties to the families.

For the He’s, in particular, Noire was their legal front.

 

 

“The board of directors has found it necessary to fast-track our development for the prototype of the YZ3. However, our research department protested strongly as they argue that the second engine tests did not quite meet expected results….” 

He Tian listens passively, having already read through the reports. He knows where it’s set to go, having advised his executive board to postpone the development until the research was ready. He taps his fingers lazily on the table, his lax posture contradicting sharply with the stiff atmosphere in the room.

He feels the table vibrate. “Sir, a call from Mr. He Cheng.”, his secretary speaks beside him as he gestures to He Tian’s phone. A few heads turn to his direction, surprised to hear the Chairman’s name. He excuses himself curtly, urging them to continue without him.

Outside the meeting room, he answers the call.

“Tian.” The voice on the other end speaks.

“Hello, Cheng-ge.” He answers with a neutral tone, leaning his head on the wall behind him. He Cheng doesn’t answer for a moment.

“Father’s condition has worsened.” He Cheng tells him, voice gruff and devoid of any trace of worry. He Tian finds humor in that, how his older brother had been unmoved since as far as he can remember. Unbearably calm, even now at their father’s downfall.

“So I’ve heard.” He replies airily. The news unnerved him at first, but He Tian supposes it was time. 

“Come home to Shenzhen at once. Mother is waiting for you.” He Cheng says from the other end of the call. He Tian chuckles, already expecting the reply. He knows it’s a command, not a request, but he can't really find it in himself to give a damn.

“And Hong Kong? Are you telling me to abandon it?” He Tian challenges, uncaring if it will incite his brother’s anger. He knows perfectly well where this is going. With his father’s failing health came the fall of the He’s, at least that’s what the other families would like to believe. His brother wants him to go back and help him in ensuring their influence in the mainland doesn’t fall apart. At the cost of losing their hold on Hong Kong.

“Just do as I say.” He Cheng says with a finality. He Tian doesn’t push him for the second time. He presses the end call button.

He runs a hand through his hair as he contemplates on the news. His father, once strong and proud, spending long decades perfecting the family businesses with precision, weeding out whatever he found weak. What they didn’t need, he threw away like ragdolls. He's sure his father would have done it to anyone. Even to his own sons, if he didn’t spend time perfecting them as well.

He remembers the weight of his father’s hand on his shoulder, speaking to him in low tones as they watched over the dancing city lights. 

_“Look them in the eye, He Tian.” His father once said. "Find it in your heart to see them for who they truly are before letting the cold wash over you. To be strong, you must embrace the world’s cruelty and become one with it.”_

He Tian can’t remember what he felt on that day, can’t remember how he thought of his father before he had come of age. He doesn’t know any other memory worth latching on to.

One thing he knows very well, was that he was a man who had created monsters for sons.

 

* * *

 

Guan Shan pulls at the collar of his uniform, feeling a little suffocated by the fabric. His sides itch, the feeling of ocean water rushing through his gills still fresh. 

He observes a pair of young women who are excitedly conversing at the table nearest to the window, their voices audible throughout the restaurant. Guan Shan collects a few parts of their discussion.

“Have you seen the magazine?....this morning!”

“….so handsome! And young too!”

“…says he’s engaged to Jian Yi, the director of Volentis,…believe it?”

He hates himself for suddenly being interested, wondering if they were talking about a certain man.

Xiu Hong places their order on the serving station which he picks up quickly. He reaches their table and places the dishes down, the ladies not really paying him attention. His eye catches the page of the magazine they’re poring over.

On the page was a candid photograph of He Tian with a pale blond man sitting next to him. The man had a slim face with shoulder length hair, his eyes almost white. The man and He Tian seemed to be talking to each other in the photo.

“Wow. He’s beautiful.”

“I know right! Such a power couple!”

Guan Shan walks back to the station, eyes down. For the second time that day, his mind was once again full of questions.

He finds himself more confused than ever.  _'Who was Jian Yi? Were they really engaged? What the hell was He Tian doing?'_

He knows he should not trust sources like that, always speculating on private lives as if they had a right to know.

But he also knows that He Tian should have said something about who he was and what he did. He doesn’t feel right knowing about He Tian’s background from a gossip magazine at a convenience store. That, or about He Tian supposedly being engaged.

He can’t help but feel like he’s being played with.

He ponders on where he stands given the absurd situation. A mermaid with nothing under his name, his kind seen more as a luxury item rather than a living being. His kind, rightfully belonging to the ocean and not to the slums in Kowloon, struggling to get by each single day _._ Hunted, afraid, powerless.

 _'He Tian should be with someone like him.'_ Guan Shan thinks, the pale man’s face in his head. 

His heart doesn't seem to follow with the thought.

He’s so stunned into silence that he doesn’t hear the door chime, failing to realize that the new customer had already seated himself.

“Excuse me.” A masculine voice calls out. He breaks out from his stupor and hurries to table where the man was sitting.

“I would like braised mushrooms with abalone, if you may.” Guan Shan nods and writes it down, flustered.

“Anything else?” Only then does he look at the customer. The sight was something he didn’t expect.

The man had wavy white hair and bright yellow eyes, his pupils so thin as if they were just slits. On his hands were a multitude of ornate gold rings, and on his wrist was a silver watch with intricate machinations.

His appearance sort of resembled the man he saw in the magazine, but the way he smiled at him was more like He Tian.

Except the comparison was not quite right. 

The man shakes his head, face unchanging. Guan Shan bows and hurries back to relay the order to Xiu Hong in the kitchen who mumbles something about an expensive dish. He goes back out and leans on the station, arms crossed. 

Guan Shan looks at the man and finds him staring back. He looks away quickly, feeling unsettled.

 _‘He looks inhuman.’_ He thinks, noting the color of his eyes. Normally he'd feel less worried about humanoids and visibly looking creatures. Somehow, the man makes him feel on edge.

Long minutes pass by as he waits for the man's food to finish, the weight of the other man’s gaze still heavy on his skin. Years spent being in high alert for traffickers have shaped him to feel wary of that kind of attention.

The order is completed. He puts them on the man’s table wordlessly, making eye contact when he has safely placed everything down. He’s unsurprised to see the man already looking back.

 _‘This is fuckin' creepy._ ’ He thinks to himself.

He doesn’t break his gaze away. The man meets his stare head on, the tension between them palpable. He wonders why the man seems so invested in him, and briefly he feels self-conscious.

One of the ladies call out to him for the bill, an interruption which he's thankful for. He collects their bill from the counter and brings it to their table. The ladies leave shortly after paying.

The restaurant goes quiet with the closing of the door, the chime’s shrill rings echoing through the air before slowly dying out. The only occupants left in the restaurant was the owner, Guan Shan, and the white-haired man.

Not once did he stop feeling the man’s gaze on him, even as he proceeded to wipe tables and rearrange chairs. He realizes briefly that the other man must be studying him. The thought troubles him greatly.

“Your hair.” The man speaks suddenly, breaking the silence. Guan Shan straightens up before facing him.

“You haven’t dyed it, have you?” The other man continues, leaning into his hand. Guan Shan decides he does not trust him. He definitely doesn’t like the implication.

“And what about it?” He counters, letting aggression lace his tone.

The man smiles, all teeth. The reaction doesn’t sit well with Guan Shan’s gut. 

“It’s such an interesting color. I don’t see it very often.” The other man replies, unaffected. Guan Shan doesn’t say anything back. He doesn't want to entertain whatever the other man was thinking.

“You must be special.” The man says, grinning, eyes unblinking. Eyes not leaving Guan Shan, he stands up and makes his way to the door.

Guan Shan grits his teeth and glares back.

“I’ll be seeing you again.” The man says one last time before letting go of the door handle.

The door closes shut, the force of the slam echoing throughout the room. Guan Shan’s left standing by the table, hands gripping the edge hard. The man was not being subtle. The remark about the unnatural shade of his hair, how he wasn’t like any other.

He thinks he might feel a little nauseous. The way the man’s yellow eyes looked like him seemed like he was sizing him up. Guan Shan recognizes the danger hidden behind the gaze, and the words.

Belatedly he notices the brown-colored bill on the table, a 500 dollar no doubt.

The abalone was left mostly untouched.

 

 

He goes home an hour later, his insides still feeling scrambled from the encounter. He tries his best to put in the back of his mind, along with everything he had just learned starting from the early hours of the day.

He’s on the way to the bus stop when he feels his phone vibrate on his pocket. He picks it out to check the message.

-

6:37 PM

From: He Tian 

Hey beautiful 😉

 -

Guan Shan rolls his eyes at the text, having gotten used to He Tian’s antics. His phone vibrates again.

 -

6:37 PM

From: He Tian

I was supposed to go there but I got held up. I’m sorry. You must have missed me 😊

 -

Normally he'd feel exasperated. Right now, however, the knowledge of He Tian's background was still burning in his mind. The thought of seeing He Tian so soon makes him uneasy. He types back a quick reply.

 -

6:38 PM

To: He Tian

No.

 -

6:38 PM

From: He Tian

Come on, Red. Admit it

-

6:38 PM

From: He Tian

Have you left the restaurant? I’m on the way there. I’ll treat you to dinner.

 -

Guan Shan’s breathing stops for a bit. His heartbeat starts to pick up, and suddenly he’s nervous. He doesn't know how to face him. Not yet, not before he could properly absorb the fact that He Tian was not just a regular affluent man.

 -

6:39 PM

To: He Tian

I’m already walking to the bus stop.

-

He hopes that was enough to detract He Tian.

-

6:39 PM

From: He Tian

Alright. Where should I meet you?

-

It was not.

Guan Shan bites his lip, completely unsure of what to reply. He considers rejecting him, then he realizes the opportunity. He could ask He Tian the truth of why he never told him anything.

-

6:41 PM

To: He Tian

I’ll just meet you at the stop, I’m almost there anyway.

-

He closes the messaging app.  _'It's now or never._ ', he says to himself, mentally readying himself for the confrontation. If he were to know everything, he should hear it from He Tian face to face. He does his best to ignore the discomfort that came with the anxiety.

He resumes walking, feeling butterflies in his stomach, his heart beating faster each passing second.

He turns to an alley, the bus station only two blocks away. He stops for a moment to put his phone back in his pocket.

Only then does he hear another step that’s not his own. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ominous music*
> 
> (am I the only one who finds She Li to be absolutely hot?)
> 
> Pardon me if I update pretty slowly, I have acads and org stuff to think about. Writing is my only escape rip  
> To be completely honest I don't fully understand how the Triads work. Rest assured I'm not interested in joining them or anything. Lmao.  
> I hope 'Meng Zie Tao' ringed a bell. I don't mean to make my political alignment ~really~ obvious, but yeah, I'm all for that stuff. Wealth inequality begone, snap the 1%.  
> The lore about mermaid tears turning to pearls? I originally read about it from the Children of the Storm. To my surprise, it was actually an ancient Chinese lore *amazed gasp*  
> Btw, my model for Guan Shan is Ten from NCT/WayV. Idk how that will be relevant to the story but uuhh I just wanted you guys to know that I guess.
> 
> June 23 (revision): Damn, you guys read this mess? I made so many mistakes (eewww). Hope I made it slightly better.  
> Chapter three is up soon.


	3. A Glimpse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for inaccuracies. One thing I just realized was that Mandarin names are different from Cantonese names! *facepalm* This makes the characters' names factually incorrect since their names are read/written in Mandarin whilst the context of this work is set in Hong Kong...wherein 90% of the people speak Cantonese as their first language. Welp.
> 
> (I learned this because Lucas from WayV had two names. )
> 
> Apparently if you convert He Tian and Guan Shan's names into Cantonese you'll end up getting "Ho Tin" for HT, and "Mok Gwaan Saan" for MGS. Sounds pretty similar. ( And by extension, Jian Yi would be "Gin Yat", and Zhan Zheng Xi would be "Jin Jeng Hei". The more you know.)
> 
> Again, this story is not meant to emulate the exactness of reality. More than anything, I want you guys to enjoy as I try to give life to Old Xian's beloved characters. Enjoy this chapter!

He hears the slam of his back on the wall before he feels the full brunt of the force.

 _'Fuck!'_  Panic immediately sets Guan Shan's gut, his vision blacking out momentarily from the sudden impact. He forces his eyes open and sees two masked men, one of whom was currently holding him up by the collar.

He snarls and knees the man’s gut, sending him backward. The man yowls and curls in on himself, failing to expect the quick response. 

The other man was quick to act, his burly arms almost trapping Guan Shan. He escapes only by a hair’s breadth, managing to side-step away at the last second. He pivots and lands a kick on the man’s side, putting him off balance.

The previous attacker recovers quickly, yanking Guan Shan's shoulder with a strong arm. Guan Shan ducks, pulling the man's arm to his front as he uses the man's momentum to swing him forward over his back. The other attacker uses that moment to charge at him with astonishing speed, caging Guan Shan's lithe frame with a grunt.

He’s violently pushed back, the concrete wall colliding with his back once again. A large hand wrapped around his throat in a vice grip. His hands fly up to pry the stocky fingers off to no avail.

“You shouldn’t have done that, cheeky little fucker.” The man growls at his face. Guan Shan glares back even under the crushing weight on his windpipe. 

He hears the sound of an engine from nearby. From the corner of his eye he sees a black van pull up at the end of the alley.

His blood runs cold at the realization.

_‘No! Shit—motherfucking—no!’_

His mind races frantically, thrashing under the man’s grip. He’s no idiot, he knows exactly what the van was meant for.

“Easy, easy.” The man warns, grunting in pain as Guan Shan’s foot collides with his shin, the blows not really leaving much damage now that he’s pinned down helplessly. He shoots his arm out as he claws on the masked man's face, fingers grasping at nothing as the man moves out of reach.

"Feisty little thing, you never know when to give up don't you?" The hand at his throat grips tighter still. Guan Shan's eyes pinch from the pain. 

“Hurry it up, we need to know if he’s the real deal.” The man holding Guan Shan down hisses to the other.

Black spots form on Guan Shan’s vision as the lack of oxygen goes to his head, his movements starting to wane in strength. He feels the touch of cool air on his torso. With a jolt he realizes that the other man had come forward to raise his shirt all the way up to his shoulder, exposing his sealed gills.

 _‘No…dammit…not like this…’_ He grits his teeth, unable to hide himself from their raking gaze.

The man holding him down whistles. “Will you look at that?” He says, as if amazed.

“To think we actually found one." The other remarks, eyes greedily taking up the inhuman aspects on Guan Shan's body _—_ the gills at his side and the patches of red scales on his hips, partially hidden behind the waistband of his sweatpants.

He feels the heat of the man's breath through the mask as he inches closer. "Will you spill a few tears for us? Hm? Give us one or two of those pearls before we hand you over to dons."

Guan Shan hates what he hears, the words affecting so much it makes him nauseous.  _‘Fucking pieces of shit…I'll kill you...’_. He swears as he clutches weakly at the man’s wrist, blunt nails sliding over rough skin.

He hears the sound of a plastic ripping and the touch of a needle on his arm. He chokes out a cry, eyes wide as his senses become overridden with instant fear. On the man’s hand was a syringe, its contents mere seconds away from entering his bloodstream.

He closes his eyes, readying himself for the worst.

 

 

It doesn’t come.

The sound of new footsteps echo through the alley, coming closer and closer at a swift pace. The two men in front of him freeze, turning to the sound.

“Shit!” One of them exclaims. 

Guan Shan’s legs give out as he’s suddenly dropped, knees hitting the pavement hard. The two men run towards the van, the engine speeding off the moment they entered.

He clutches at his throat, back bowed as his breaths come in and out of his mouth in desperate huffs. He feels his eyes water as he heaved, from the pain, fear, shock _—_ all at once.

Briefly, he registers the new presence. He turns his head to the newcomer’s direction, his vision clearing as he inhaled mouthfuls of air.

 

His eyes meet grey.

 

"Hey."

He recognizes him immediately. 

“Are you all right, Red?” He Tian calls out to him softly, kneeling beside him.

Guan Shan can't help the surge of relief throughout his body. Without realizing it, he reaches out a trembling hand towards the other man. He Tian accepts it carefully, holding it close to his chest.

"Slow and steady, Red." He Tian tells him, his other hand reaching forward to rest on Guan Shan's shoulder.

He closes his eyes, trying to breathe in the manner  He Tian instructed him to do. With slow but deep breaths, he tries to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

His breathing slows down considerably. With gentle hands, He Tian cradles his face. He looks at Guan Shan with a worried expression, grey eyes cloudy with concern. Guan Shan doesn’t act like it, but his eyes are blown wide with shock. 

“I’m f-fine now.” Guan Shan replies shakily, lips quivering. He Tian angles his head to get a better look on his neck. His brows furrow as he surveys the quickly reddening finger-shaped marks.

“You're hurt.” He says lowly, caressing the skin on his jugular with his thumb. Guan Shan shivers under his heavy gaze. 

“It's no matter, they didn’t injure me or a-anything.” Guan Shan breathes out, but He Tian is unconvinced.

 _‘It could have been much worse…’_  Guan Shan thinks, mind conjuring up images of what could have been.

It takes several moments for him to completely catch his breath. He Tian waits patiently, one hand leaving his cheek to rub soothingly at his shoulder.

Finally Guan Shan's breathing evens out.  He moves to stand, his legs not quite steady which makes him wobble for a split second. He Tian supports him, one hand on the small of his back.

“Come on, let's get in the car.” He Tian tells him softly. Guan Shan nods, thankful.

 

 

 

On the passenger seat he attempts to fully compose himself, his hands still shaking with small tremors. He leans back and clutches his sides, his brain still in overdrive from the incident that happened just minutes ago.

His eyes move over to He Tian who was still outside, talking with his phone on his ear. Guan Shan tries to pick up a few of his words, then realizes that the other man was currently reporting the incident to the local authorities.

He sighs, eyes closed. They almost had him. The syringe, whatever that was supposed to be, had nearly pierced through his skin. He guesses it was supposed to incapacitate him further, making easy for them to drag him to the black van then brought to god knows where.

What terrified him though was the fact that they knew about him.  _'We need to know if he's the real deal.'_ He recalls, the masked man speaking as if Guan Shan already been considered prior to the near abduction.

His stomach lurches at the realization that he may have been  ** _watched._**

His eyes open to find He Tian looking at him from outside the car. _‘Shit, what the hell am I supposed to tell him?’_  Guan Shan worries suddenly, only realizing that the other man will be inclined to ask him about what happened. If He Tian asks, he can’t tell him that the masked men had attempted to kidnap him because that would lead to another _why?_  

And Guan Shan can't answer that with ignorance. Anyone could easily see through that. 

He runs his hands on his sides over the fabric of his shirt, feeling the depressions formed by his gills.

 _‘He can’t know.’_  Guan Shan decides, resolute even in the haze of his disconcerted mind.

He Tian finishes the call and makes his way over to the driver’s side, entering the car with smooth ease. He faces Guan Shan who was already looking at him.

“He Tian.” Guan Shan voices out, voice barely above a whisper. The other man looks at him imploringly.

 

The gravity of the words stalls him abruptly.

 

“He Tian, I…” Guan Shan swallows, trying again, his throat drying from what he wanted to say. He looks down on his lap and wrings his hands together.

He Tian holds one hand out, seeking. Guan Shan slowly places his on top, fingers cold against the warmth of the other man's palm. He Tian intertwines their fingers together.

“Let’s get you home.” Guan Shan nods, swallowing his words.

The drive was quick, the silence broken only occasionally as Guan Shan points out the way. He Tian doesn’t pry at all, only glancing at Guan Shan through the mirror. That relieves him greatly.

He Tian doesn't say anything, but Guan Shan can tell that he was worked up too. Jaw clenched, his other hand gripping tight on the steering wheel.

 _'He must be angry.'_ Guan Shan thinks to himself. He knows it's not for him, but still he feels bad. He never wanted that to happen. 

They reach his house within a couple of minutes, the night sky having darkened enough considerably for the streetlamps to light up. The car’s engine whirs lowly in the background.

Guan Shan takes a deep breath, having already practiced the phrase in his head many times.

“Thank you.” His words shift the air. He Tian shakes his head.

“I owe you my life.” Guan Shan continues. He tells He Tian that because it's  _true_. 

He Tian turns to look at him, his grey eyes soft. “You don’t have to thank me. I’d do it again and again if I have to.” He replies, not missing a beat. He gives Guan Shan’s hand a slight squeeze.

Guan Shan doesn’t know what to say, taken aback with the earnestness in He Tian’s words. He watches as He Tian brings his hand up.

His eyes widen, feeling the warm press of He Tian’s lips on his skin. The back of his hand tingles from the moisture.

 

His cheeks heat up from the chaste kiss.

 

His heart thrums slow and steady, whole body warming up just from a single touch of a mouth on his hand. “You don’t owe me anything either.” He Tian reassures, eyes staring straight at him from behind their intertwined fingers. Guan Shan breathes out a shaky sigh and nods. He doesn't agree with what the other man said, but he supposes there was no need to argue. Not now, at least.

They stay like that for a few more seconds until Guan Shan slowly pulls his hand away. He Tian lets it go without complaint. Guan Shan opens the door and steps a foot out awkwardly.

“I’m off now.” He mumbles out, eyes shying away. He Tian hums an affirmation. Guan Shan gets out, looking over his shoulder once before proceeding to walk up the metal stairs. He hears the sound of He Tian's car as he drives away.

He unlocks the door, relieved to see the lights closed. His mother has already retreated to her room. He barely registers what happens next, dropping his hoodie on the couch, washing up in the bath, changing his clothes.

He settles on his bed, body heavy with exhaustion. His mind was likewise a puddle of everything at once. He Tian’s true background, the sinister white-haired man back at the restaurant, a near kidnapping. The day had certainly felt like forever.

He falls asleep within the minute, still feeling warm.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A devastating murder rattled Kowloon City 13 years ago.

The sound of gunshots disturbed the night, alerting the residents in the neighborhood. The sound had come from an apartment where authorities found the lifeless body of a man and an unconscious woman. The murder of the man had been particularly brutal according to the report, the man having sustained three gunshot wounds _—_ one to the shoulder, another to the chest, and the last one to the head.

They were surprised, however, by the presence of a child just under the table, a few feet from where the woman lied on the floor. Completely unharmed, but in great distress.

The individuals involved had been identified to be a family of creatures, although their exact identities were never released to the media. Unfortunately, the succeeding investigations failed to shed light on the perpetrators as the authorities were unable to find any credible evidence to incriminate any of the suspects. The case was ultimately ruled out to be a violent house break-in of an attempted robbery.

 

 

Guan Shan calls bullshit. 

For the longest time, he could not bear to accept the results of the investigation. The truth behind that night had consumed him with anger for as long as he could remember.

He remembers the memory very clearly. Peeking underneath the tablecloth, hot tears running down his cheeks as he clamped his own hands to his mouth, muffling his terrified cries.

That was no house break-in. That had been an attempt to seize their family into the ring.

A gunshot, the splatter of blood on the floor, the horrified wail of his mother. A blow, and the heavy thump of her body falling on the floor. The final struggle of his father before a second gunshot hit him fatally. The step of a boot on his father’s chest, death apparent as the mouth of the gun pointed at his face.

The last gun shot rang through the air, rattling the walls and Guan Shan’s bones.

 

  

* * *

 

 

 

“Oh no, that’s unfortunate.” Xiu Hong’s speaks through the speakers of his phone. “Rest well okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks boss.”

“No worries dear.”

He presses the end call button and drops his phone at his side. He pulls the blankets up to his shoulders and leans back to the pillow. The thought of retracing his steps to the restaurant so soon makes his skin crawl.

He’s heard a lot of stories about what happens inside the rings. All sorts of inhumans like him, captured and never able to see the light of day, sold to dens for entertainment and pleasure or as personal properties. Not to mention the conditions of the very few creatures that were rescued _—_  abused so severely they've lost all traces of sanity, as well as memory of their past lives.

It was barbaric how traffickers would tear them down, stealing them out of their houses or out open in the streets. And how authorities would turn their heads away, skirting around the issue if they could, so willing to let themselves get bought over by the blood-stained money of the triads. Guan Shan despises them all.

They've moved from their previous apartment since then, as if to get rid of the terror that happened that night. 

The door to his bedroom opens. Guan Shan quickly lies back down, pulling up the blanket to his neck. His mother peeks her head in and gives him a gentle smile.

“Feeling better, baby?” His mother asks. Guan Shan nods. He told her earlier about how he was feeling unwell when she had come to his room to wake him up, thinking that he'd slept in late. She responded by giving him a pill of ibuprofen.

He stowed away in his drawer.

His mother crosses the threshold, a bowl of breakfast in her hand, the smell of eggs wafting the air. She leaves it on his nightstand and promptly sits beside him, running an affectionate hand on his hair.

She cups his face in both palms. “Don’t push yourself too hard okay? I know that you work hard and all, but you shouldn’t forget about resting.”

“Don’t worry Ma, I’ll be fine.” He tries to reassure her. Guilt settles on his chest for not telling the truth about last night. He can’t bear to shatter her heart.

_("Shan...Shan..", he'd heard her once, just some months ago, sobbing frantically in the middle of the night as she opened the door to his bedroom. She thought he was asleep, head resting on an arm, chin tucked on the pillow he was holding to his chest. He heard her sigh, relieved to find him still on the bed and very much alive. )_

She presses a kiss on his forehead. “If you say so.” She stands up then points to the bowl at his night stand. “Eat some food, okay?” Guan Shan nods once more, giving her a taut smile. She leaves shortly.

He sighs, angry at himself for having to lie, angry for being subjected into a reality he never wanted.

He turns to his side. On top of his night stand were the black earrings that He Tian gave him a week ago. 

He tries to guess how much they cost, and wonders if his life had been sold at a higher or a lower price.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Somewhere in one of Hong Kong's high end districts, He Tian barely gets a wink of sleep.

The early morning sun's rays breach through the tall windows of his bedroom. He feels the heat touch his chest as he sat, back leaning against the headboard. Clutched between his fingers is a freshly lit cigarette.

He brings it to his mouth, sucking in slowly. The events from yesterday never leave his head. 

He exhales, smoke dancing in front of his vision. He can't help but think about what would have happened had he been a second too late. 

Guan Shan in danger, his own heart ramming so hard in his chest it felts like he would burst open. The hand prints on Guan Shan's neck, amber eyes blown wide with fear, the retreating backs of the masked men who fled as soon as they saw him.

He brings the stick between his lips again, the tip burning a bright orange as he breathed the nicotine to his lungs.

Perhaps the most unforgettable of them all, the very thing that disquieted He Tian the most _—_  

The glimpse of a pale torso, and the presence of unmistakable slits on Guan Shan's sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens 8)
> 
> Chapter 4 won't be up in at least a week...pardon me (RIP). Anyways, one of the bumps I met while writing this was the hand-holding scene because I wasn't sure if you could hold hands while driving LMAO. Apparently you can, if your car is automatic which means there's no gear shifting involved. Let's just say that HT is driving something like a 2014 Porsche GT3.
> 
> Also I really need to get a beta-reader...message me, please? None of my friends read 19 days :( Maybe I need to reconsider my choices in life? jk


	4. Another One Can't Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain inhuman appears for the first time in the story. He Tian gives Guan Shan a surprise visit the night after the incident.

The aroma of green tea leaves permeates the air. He Tian taps his foot slowly, watching as the water vapor escapes from the mouth of his teacup. 

Across him, Jian Yi takes a small sip of his tea, holding it with delicate fingers. He looks at He Tian with doe eyes, near transparent white orbs that would have looked disconcerting to any other man. 

Light footsteps resound through the high arcs of the manse. He Tian turns his head to the sound and sees a graying old dwarf walk towards the sala, coming to a stop as he hefts a tray of biscuits on top of the coffee table. He Tian nods at him to show his gratitude.

“So…I heard your dad is close to dying?” The man across him blurts out, tone inquisitive as if he was asking a mundane question. He Tian shrugs in response.

“Young master, please do not be so blunt.” The old man replies as he arranges the cutlery, tone strict albeit roughened with age. Jian Yi huffs, not taking the reprimand. He Tian gives the elder a curt smile.

“Thank you sir. If only Jian Yi could find it in himself to learn a few wise things from you.” He replies, shooting Jian Yi a teasing glance. He sticks his tongue out in kind.

The old man gives Jian Yi a reproaching look before leaving, shaking his head in exasperation. 

Jian Yi huffs, tossing his head to the side with a flip of his hair. “So, what happens now?” He says after a sip, trying to go back to the issue at hand.

“Cheng-ge wants me to go back to Shenzhen.” He Tian replies, reaching out to wrap a hand around the teacup. He brings it to his lips, keeping his eyes on the other man to see him raising an eyebrow.

“Oh really now?" Jian Yi replies in a tilted tone. "When do you plan to leave?” He continues, to which He Tian just shakes his head.

Jian Yi sighs knowingly. “Of course. You never listen to him.”

He then uses the moment to rearrange his position on the recliner, body shimmying as he let his legs dangle over the chair’s arm. He Tian watches him, amused. The tea in Jian Yi's cup sloshes over the edge and almost spills over his hand.

"How are you doing right now?" Jian Yi asks him. He Tian chuckles humorlessly.

"You know the answer to that."

Jian Yi nods with a hum. Long years spent with each other has granted him the knowledge about the true nature of the He family, and of the relationship between the father and his sons.

“Where’s your knight?” He Tian questions, shifting the topic. The other man’s lips curl up in an instant.

“Xixi is in med-school right now.” Jian Yi replies with a smile, facing He Tian with excited eyes. “He's been burying his nose in his books lately. So much that it’s been a while since I’ve seen him...” He trails off with a pout.

“Hey now, you’re making me jealous." He Tian downs the rest of his tea before continuing. "The media is saying we’re engaged to each other, you know.” He says, smirking, as he put his cup back on the table, the china clinking as it made contact with the hardwood.

At once, Jian Yi’s face contorts at his words. "Uuugh! Why did you have to say that!" Jian Yi groans, running a hand over his face. He Tian laughs at him.

“So gross! I don’t even—why would I want to be with a cruel man like you?” He continues, the tone of his voice rising in indignation. He Tian rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything in return. He leans back into the recliner instead.

 _Cruel, huh?_   The word doesn't prick at him, but it sends his mind spiralling back to yesterday’s event. He remembers the scalding rush of anger as he laid his eyes on the men who attacked Guan Shan. Dark, heavy promises had settled within his veins then, a promise to protect, and a promise to hurt if need be.

Still, nothing could fully distract him from replaying the split second of glimpse of Guan Shan’s seemingly inhuman body. He knows he shouldn’t jump into conclusions, but that doesn’t mean he should just forget. 

And if his eyes did not lie to him, it meant that last night's attack wasn't just a simple run-in with thugs. It was, very likely, a failed kidnapping attempt.

Conflicted emotions bloom in his chest, suddenly feeling uncertain with himself and his course of action.

 _If I ask him, would he push me away?’_ He thinks to himself, for once tasting the bitter pang of doubt.

“Earth to He Tian? Hello? You seem to be in deep thought out there.” Jian Yi calls him. He Tian blinks back, unaware that he had zoned out.

“I can feel your uneasiness all the way from here you know.” Jian Yi continues, one finger twirling a strand of his pale hair. "Something bothering you?"

Those all-seeing white eyes observe him closely. He Tian breathes out a slow exhale. He knows he can’t fully hide anything from Jian Yi, the fae could easily tell his emotions just by feeling the thrums of his heart.

Once, there was a time when he had been wary of the other man’s natural ability. It was only through years and years of trust did he finally grow to take comfort in it.

“Nothing much. It’s just that I met someone new, that’s all.” He replies, pouring himself more tea. A half-truth that rolls easily off his tongue.  

Jian Yi jolts, eyes widening as he scrambled to face He Tian, mouth opening to let out an undignified sound that contrasted greatly with his otherwise elegant beauty.

“Excuse me, what did you say? Who?” Jian Yi asks urgently, leaning forward. His chair makes a shrill noise as it scratches the floor.

He Tian brings the cup to his lips, sipping slowly. Jian Yi wails at him to spill.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Guan Shan wakes up from a dreamless sleep. 

He feels around for his phone, eyes squinting as the glare from the display illuminated his face. The time reads ’11:12 PM’.

He sits up with a groan, his body aching from post-sleep. He feels the burn of his parched throat as he swallows.

He steps out of his bedroom, phone in hand, and finds that his mother had already retired for the night. He reheats the casserole on the stove for a few minutes, no doubt prepared by his mother a few hours prior, and eats up unceremoniously.

When he's done, he goes to the bath to wash up. He’s midway through brushing his teeth when he hears his phone ring on the dining table.

Brows furrowed, he checks the caller ID. He’s unsurprised to see the name that flashes through the screen. He answers the phone with a flick of his finger.

“ ‘vat’s zup?” He says, toothbrush still stuck in his mouth. He Tian lets out a confused laugh.

“Say what, Red?” The other man replies from the other end on the line just as Guan Shan moves to the sink to wash his mouth.

“Why did you call?” Guan Shan says clearly this time, pressing his phone back to his ear.  

“I wanted to check on you.”

The reply takes him off guard. Guan Shan takes a moment to answer, leaning his head back to one of the kitchen cabinets.

“I’m alright. You didn’t have to check on me.” He tells him, to which He Tian replies with a low hum. Guan Shan knows the other man doubts his answer. For some reason, he feels embarrassed at the concern.

_I'm not a weak a little thing..._

The line is quiet for several moments. He waits patiently, cradling the phone close to his ear as he waits for He Tian to speak.

“I know it’s already midnight, but can you come out for a bit?”

Guan Shan lets out a ‘huh?’ in confusion. He hears a sharp intake of breath at the other end.

_Wait, don’t tell me..._

“I’m parked outside.”

He almost drops his phone in surprise. “Huh? What? Are you serious?” Guan Shan asks back, incredulous, drawing his phone back from his ear for a moment to check at the time. _At this fucking hour…_

“It won’t take too long.”

Guan Shan blinks, once, twice, before sighing, running a hand over his hair. He looks down at what he's wearing, five-year old track pants and a faded shirt, before he tells himself to _‘fuck it’_.

 

 

The metal creaks under his weight as he descends down the flight of stairs. Oddly, the uneasy feeling in his gut rises with every step he takes. The cool night air pricks at his skin, as if to increase the sudden nervousness he felt.

He Tian’s car was parked right next to the apartment complex. He taps on the window once, ducking to peer into the tinted glass. He Tian gestures at him to enter.

He slips in without a word. Beside him, under the dim lighting of the lamp post adjacent to the car, He Tian flashes his signature smirk.

He notices that He Tian was dressed down to black shirt and gray sweatpants. A stark contrast from the usual three-piece he wears—no silver watch to blink at him from He Tian’s wrist, no expensive musk of a perfume whose name he cannot bother to pronounce.

Guan Shan pauses, not accustomed to the sight. He's so used to seeing He Tian dressed up, he almost thought he slept in expensive suits as well.

The current He Tian is much more preferable, Guan Shan admits to himself.

“I wanted to see you.” He Tian tells him, hand coming to rest on Guan Shan’s elbow. The warmth of his touch spreads on his skin.

“It’s the dead of the night, asshole.” Guan Shan replies with a glare, not making a move to remove He Tian's hand. The other man breathes out a chuckle, his free hand reaching up to mess at his fringe.

“Yeah, sorry. I don’t really have an excuse.” He Tian tilts his head at him, his smile looking a little sheepish. Guan Shan huffs. 

He inhales deeply, bracing himself for what he has to say. He breaks his gaze away from He Tian, redirecting his eyes to his lap. “I’m fine. I’m really grateful for what you did yesterday.” There was no need to expound on his words. “I meant what I said, I’m indebted to you.”

A few seconds pass by, the car’s engine purring softly somewhere behind them. Guan Shan wrings his hands together in anxiety.

“You don’t have to worry about it. I’d help you again and again if I could.” He Tian replies, voice soft. 

Guan Shan chews at his lip, feeling his cheeks heat up as he took in He Tian’s words. Gratitude was not enough to describe what he felt.

 _Trust._ He supposes he can give the other man just that. Months of relentless pursuit, teasing but not once overstepping his boundaries, genuine words and actions, seeking and courting him with unwavering dedication. And when he had needed him most, he had been there.

Guan Shan wants to, chooses to believe in He Tian.

He Tian’s arm reaches up to curl around his shoulder. The action brings them closer, and briefly Guan Shan feels his face heat up. He Tian runs a thumb on the bruise at his neck, his  touch gentle as to not exert pressure. Guan Shan is suddenly stricken with self-consciousness. He attempts to cover the bruises with his hand, although He Tian gently pushes it away.

“It’s fine, it will disappear in a few days.” He says, a weak attempt to quell the other man’s worrying gaze. The furrow between He Tian's brows doesn't let up.

“What happened, exactly?” He Tian says suddenly. Guan Shan flinches, not because of the suddenness of the question, but because it was the question that he was dreading to answer.

He inhales and exhales once, preparing for the next lie.

“Nothing. They were trying to mug me or something.” He replies nonchalantly, hoping that was enough.

 

_Another one can’t hurt._

 

_Right?_

 

He observes He Tian’s reaction, waiting for any sign of disbelief or confusion. The other man’s eyes were downcast, expression unreadable as he contemplated on what to say. He Tian doesn’t reply in what feels like a long time. 

“It’s not nothing, Red. Things could have gotten worse.”

Guan Shan nods, swallowing hard. He was right in many ways he doesn't know. Still, he feels immense relief at the fact that he was alright at the moment, sitting beside He Tian outside of his home, the light of the sun still waiting for him at the dawn.

They stay in the same position for a while. He Tian reaches in his pocket and pulls out a pack—‘Sobranie Black Russian’ Guan Shan reads. He’s never seen that one in convenience stores. He relinquishes his hold around Guan Shan and offers him a stick, to which Guan Shan accepts after a beat’s consideration.

He Tian rolls the windows down as they light up the cigarettes. Guan Shan sucks in slowly, relief flooding in  through his system along with the bitter coolness of nicotine. He doesn’t do this often, in fact, he can count the number of packs he has bought using both hands.

“Our date got ruined, you know.” He Tian says after an exhale, white clouds of carbon dancing just outside the car window.

Guan Shan raises an eyebrow and gives the other man a blithering glare. He Tian smiles back coyly in return.

“Seriously?”

“What? I was looking forward to it. Don’t tell me you weren’t.” He Tian teases back with a wink. Guan Shan rolls his eyes and places the cig back between his lips.

“So…ready for take two?” He Tian presses on, expectant. Guan Shan doesn’t answer right away, letting the menthol wash over him as he exhaled. He Tian uses that moment to reach for his hand, fingers intertwining with Guan Shan’s bony ones. He gives him a slight squeeze.

A promise. A reassurance.

Guan Shan shrugs. “Sure, whatever.” He says as nonchalantly as he could. He Tian beams, showing off a dimpled smile. 

The sight pulls up a small grin at the corner of his lips.

"Don't get so happy about it." He tells the other man, squeezing his hand just as He Tian did.

"Hmm? What do you mean, Red?" He Tian replies, eyes still curled like half-moons.

"You're like an excited dog."

He Tian's expression morphs into a questioning one, one eyebrow curling upwards. Guan Shan really can't help it, he finds it to be...cute.

He shakes his head with a small smile.

Outside the car windows, a gentle breeze sweeps over, blowing the traces of smoke away. The obsidian night sky hangs above them, their figures illuminated only by the dim glow of a lamp post. 

Like this, Guan Shan felt at peace for the first time since yesterday's night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "How do you sleep when you lie to me?" 
> 
> *pounds gavel* He Tian has dimples. Fight me.  
> I have smoked exactly once and it wasn't even legit. Maybe I should,,,start smoking? For research purposes? Lol.
> 
> "Guan Shan nods, swallowing hard. He was right in many ways he doesn't know." Unreliable narrator here. Of course Guan Shan doesnt know that He Tian knows some stuff.
> 
> I'm so sorry I'm so late. I got swamped by org work and shit. I'll try to work on the next update right away, but I can't guarantee an immediate upload. Also, what do you guys think about the current situation in HK?
> 
> October 23, revision of fourth chapter. Had to work on the narrative structure of the first part since it felt awkward when I read it. Hope the story flows better now.


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